"Hey, who are you and when did you get on our ship?" Luffy asked, leaning forward to examine Chu Zihang with unconcealed curiosity.
Most people would react with suspicion or alarm upon finding a stranger in their home, but Luffy's first instinct was pure fascination. That was just his nature—open, trusting, and endlessly curious about new people.
Despite having never heard this particular language before, Chu Zihang found himself understanding every word perfectly. The Gate of All Worlds' universal translation was truly remarkable.
"You're Luffy, aren't you? Monkey D. Luffy?" Chu Zihang asked, studying the boy's features carefully.
During his three-day absence, Chu Zihang had done extensive research on the One Piece world. This younger Luffy looked different from his future pirate self, but that characteristic goofy expression was unmistakable.
"Whoa! How do you know my name?" Luffy exclaimed, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "Have we met before? I feel like I'd remember you..."
"No, we haven't met," Chu Zihang replied smoothly. "But Gustave mentioned you to me."
Having studied One Piece extensively, Chu Zihang understood that Luffy was essentially a kindhearted fool. A simple explanation should suffice.
"Really? What did Gustave say about me?" Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement. "I want to know what he thinks of me!"
"He said you're optimistic and brave," Chu Zihang answered without hesitation, completely abandoning his usual stoic demeanor from Shilan Middle School. "That you're a good friend and someone who can be trusted completely."
"Aw, I'm not that great," Luffy said, actually blushing at the praise.
"He also mentioned that you'll become the Pirate King someday," Chu Zihang added, recalling the anime's most fundamental premise. "I'm going to be the man who becomes Pirate King!" was practically Luffy's catchphrase.
"Pirate King?" Luffy looked genuinely puzzled. "What's that? Didn't Gustave tell you I'm going to become the greatest hero?"
Oh no. Chu Zihang's mental alarm bells started ringing. He'd forgotten that Gustave had apparently altered Luffy's core motivation in this reality.
"Ah, sorry! I misspoke," he said quickly. "Gustave definitely said 'greatest hero.' I got confused for a moment."
"Oh, that makes sense!" Luffy accepted the explanation immediately, his confusion evaporating.
Chu Zihang felt a wave of relief. Thank goodness he'd encountered the trusting Luffy instead of the more perceptive Ace—that could have led to much more complicated questions.
His personality really is exactly like the anime, Chu Zihang mused, confirming his research. However, this encounter had taught him an important lesson: he needed to be more careful about assuming things remained unchanged in this world.
"Oh yeah, what's your name?" Luffy asked suddenly, apparently just realizing he'd been talking to a complete stranger this whole time.
"I'm Chu Zihang, and I'm a friend of Gustave and the others," he replied, extending his hand formally.
"If you're Gustave's friend, then you're my friend too!" Luffy declared, grabbing Chu Zihang's hand enthusiastically. "Come on, let me introduce you to everyone!"
"Po, Tom, Ace! Gustave's friend is here!" Luffy shouted the moment they reached the first floor.
"Friend?" Po, Tom, and Ace all turned simultaneously at the announcement.
Po and Tom immediately recognized Chu Zihang and understood the situation, but Ace looked completely bewildered. They were drifting in the middle of the ocean—how could a friend just appear out of nowhere?
At that precise moment, Gustave returned from his scouting mission. Lightning crackled across the deck as he materialized in his elemental form before solidifying into human shape.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Chu Zihang observed with interest. But how did it end up in Gustave's possession instead of Enel's?
He could never have imagined that Gustave's Devil Fruit had literally fallen from the sky into his mouth during his arrival in this world.
Seeing Chu Zihang standing beside Luffy, Gustave immediately realized what must have happened.
"Luffy, Ace, this is my friend Chu Zihang," he announced, taking control of the situation before any awkward questions could arise.
"A while back, Po accidentally ate a Devil Fruit. We haven't been able to identify it exactly, but through experimentation, we've discovered it can create doors that connect to other locations. Chu Zihang found us through one of these doors."
Gustave delivered the carefully prepared cover story with practiced ease. "There seem to be special requirements for using these doors, but we're still figuring out the exact mechanics."
Po nodded with exaggerated innocence, playing his role perfectly, while Tom bobbed his head enthusiastically in agreement.
"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed, looking at Po with obvious envy. "Why didn't I eat such an awesome Devil Fruit?"
Ace remained somewhat skeptical, but the Devil Fruit explanation was plausible enough. Since Gustave vouched for Chu Zihang as a friend, he decided not to press the issue.
"Ace, Luffy, could you get us some juice?" Gustave requested, clearly wanting to speak with Chu Zihang privately.
"Sure thing," Ace replied, leading Luffy toward the kitchen.
Once they were alone, Gustave approached Chu Zihang with genuine concern. "You don't mind if I call you Zihang, do you?"
"That's fine," Chu Zihang replied. Formal titles weren't particularly important to him.
"What happened these past three days? I was wondering why you hadn't visited."
"Three days?" Chu Zihang looked genuinely surprised.
"Is something wrong?" Gustave asked, noting his reaction.
"It's like this..." Chu Zihang began thoughtfully. "When I returned to my world, I discovered that less than a minute had passed there. I wondered if time would flow differently if I stayed in my world for a while before returning through the Gate."
He paused, processing the implications. "But it seems that's not the case. If three days have passed here while I spent three days in my world, then time flows at the same rate in both dimensions."
Chu Zihang's analytical mind was already working through the possibilities. The time synchronization between worlds might actually offer certain advantages, though he'd need to conduct more experiments to understand the full implications.